Several regional facilities of the French Blood Establishment were affected by a cyberattack on November 2. The attack impacted monitoring and control systems for refrigerated rooms, but did not damage the stored blood products, the French Ministry of Health said.
“Several regional facilities of the French Blood Establishment were affected by a cybersecurity incident that impacted certain monitoring and control systems for refrigerated rooms,” the statement said.
The temperature settings of some of the chambers were changed from -30 to 110 degrees. The change was noticed by an on-duty technician, allowing staff to respond before the supplies were compromised.
“The situation is now under control and is being closely monitored. The safety of the blood supplies was preserved thanks to the control and alarm systems at the facilities, as well as the precautionary measures introduced immediately,” the ministry said.
Method of intrusion under investigation
The investigation into the method of operation, the circumstances surrounding the incident and the potentially affected equipment is ongoing. The conditions under which the systems can be safely restored are also being examined.
The French Blood Establishment has stepped up monitoring of the refrigeration equipment, while France’s National Agency for the Security of Information Systems and the Ministry of Health are involved in clarifying the case. French authorities have not identified a perpetrator or a specific group linked to the attack.
Attack follows series of incidents involving refrigeration systems
The incident occurred against the backdrop of a series of cyberattacks against refrigeration systems at commercial sites across Europe. In the attacks, hackers remotely manipulated the settings of refrigerated chambers and freezers, resulting in the destruction of large quantities of food products.
Similar attacks affected dozens of supermarkets in France around three weeks earlier. The new case expands the campaign’s scope to facilities responsible for storing blood products, but according to the French Ministry of Health, there have been no consequences for the safety of the supplies or the operation of the affected centers.
Sources: bta.bg, apnews.com